Hi everyone,
I was supposed to write on the blog last week but everything goes wrong. It seems as if I was doing wrong in everything that I undertook and this delayed me to write. However, after mere reflection I see more clearly. In fact, I was very enthusiastic to work but I forgot the essence doing the very best of myself. As I promise you in my last post I was used to do a simulation by acting as a PR agency counseling Neologik Ltd ( company I am working for) and I did it.
I was so afraid that I did the presentation wrongly. I know what should be done but in vain. I wrote it in my diary, but I forgot to ask the client what are his needs, objectives and what can I do for him as a PR Consultant. After my stupid presentation then the director of the company removed me from the hole where I was stuck into. He drove me to see that my studies were simply a guide and the way one should present a project is not to reproduce literally what I have been learning in class. Then, I understood that the real meaning of working as a PR consultant is not simply to present a project and gaining money/ salary.
In fact, PR is to be creative and innovative and not to reproduce what others are doing. For instance, a company should not have a slogan or history page simply because all companies have one. PR is not copying but to convey the right message to the right public. A PR consultant should not only design a project for his client but should know his client network and should know the nature of his client’s business in order to counsel and to do a good job.
Today, many people talk about rebranding!!!! But did they know what does rebrand mean?? In the simulation, I requested the client to rebrand his image by modifying things to create awareness in his company. Once more I was completely wrong. Firstly, I was wrong upon the word rebrand because here in Mauritius, companies rebrand (the packaging not the trademark) without knowing what it is. And I too have engaged myself in that vicious cycle.
Brand: means the trademark of the company and rebrand means changing this trademark. It is due to my director that I understood what the word rebrand means or else I will still believe it as something else. For sure, I have been reprimanded but due to that internship and my coach’s (project manager) support, I am more confident to go ahead in my career.
Well guys, my next post will be released soon…
Good luck…
Annabel
Charles Telfair Institute, Mauritius
5 comments:
Hello Annabel!! Don’t worry, even if your presentation went wrong, you have learnt something through this. We are used to present in front of our friends and lecturers but we tend to learn by heart and just ‘’vomit’’ everything during our presentation. But in real life it is very different. In front of a client we need to know our subject but be confident in what we are saying and be creative.
I have assist at 2-3 meetings with my boss and media planner and one time something went wrong. Our laptop didn’t want to start (and 30minutes earlier at work it was working properly). We had nothing in print and my boss improvise. He explained clearly what needed to be said (even without the help of what was in the presentation) as he knew his subject very well and he was also creative. I think that if the laptop had worked, the speech of my boss wouldn’t have had the same impact. If I was in the place of my boss, I would have totally felt lost, starting to be stressed and end up in making a fool of myself.
Now I have realised that having everything prepared is not important, what is important is knowing your subject very well, to be like passionate about it and know how creatively present it so as to attract the customers attention. You need to know how to anticipate any problems that can occur during your presentation like a technical problem.
Keep it up!!
Sandy NMH
Charles Telfair Institute (CTI)
Mauritius
Hey Sandy, I completely agree with what you said. I do think that this internship is making us experience a lot and that those critics or problems experienced at work are making me eager to know more and experience more.
Obviously, internship helps a lot for us to gain experience and it prepares us to be better professionals.
Thanks a lot for your comment and encouragement.
Cheers
Annabel
Hey Annabel
This is what this module is all about!
PR393 is preparing us to the professional world, and it's never gonna be easy.
And what you said about PR being creative and not reproducing things, well you said it all.
So i wasn't wrong, Joel is guiding you in the right way.
Good luck Anna, you are doing good!
Naresh.
Hi Annabel,
Good to hear that my classmates are doing so well during their placements. Keep up the good work! Oh well, coming back to what you said, too often we tend to neglect the client's needs and recommendations and instead do what we deem best but this does not always work and definitely not in the real PR world!
I believe that we should all learn from our mistakes and so what...if you committed a blunder! One of my favourite authors would describe this as "experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes". Real life experience completely differs from what we learnt at uni.
It is true that what you learnt will help you but it is not enough if you do not use your own creativity and style as well as develop professional skills in the future; which will avoid you panicking in case you do not remember your notes...The art of being creative and innovative is not one learnt on the benches of uni and trust me I learnt it the hard way during my internship at Sun Resorts Limited.
Be positive and keep up the hard work!
Cheers.
Anicksha Boolell.
14436314.
Charles Telfair Institute.
Inspiring Blog!
After reading your blog, I rethink and reflect more on what I am doing now.
Working as a PR professionals is not as simple as we think. Theory is helpful but not enough yet.
Good luck and cheers =)
Post a Comment